Event Report: 13th E-lection Bridge Conference

2024 was widely referred to as “the election year,” as half the world's population was ex-pected to vote. The Pew Research Centre stated that more voters than ever in history headed to the polls as at least 64 countries (plus the European Union)—representing a combined pop-ulation of about 49% of the people globally—were meant to hold elections, the results of which, for many, would prove consequential for years to come. In addition to elections, key political developments and successions were witnessed in the U.K.’s ruling Conservative Par-ty. At the same time, at least 17 African countries held elections with perceptible changes in Senegal, Botswana, Ghana and South Africa, to name a few. Elections are defining, determining too, the quality of democracy, the economy and foreign relations of a country. However, elections have not been the only notable way of civic participation. On the one hand, voters in some countries sent messages of frustration and dissatis-faction with the status quo, including the rising costs of living by protesting, evidenced in Kenya and other contexts. On the other hand, Unconstitutional Changes of Government (UCGs) and coups reemerged in the Sahel region. For opposition and ruling parties, engaging the vot-ers, withholding their stronghold, or ushering in change requires strategic planning. Against this backdrop, KAS' PolDiSSA programme invited representatives of political parties and members of civil society to Stellenbosch, South Africa, from 11 – 13 November 2024 to discuss issues related to election management.